Best Noodles in a Tea Shop 2024 | One More Noodle | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Volcano Tea House, shoehorned into a row of shops alongside the Aurora H Mart, started out as a delightfully cheery place to quench your thirst for Taiwanese milk teas and fruity concoctions. It has since changed its name and evolved into a full-on noodle house, where you can slurp your way through a mix-and-match menu of hand-shaved and hand-pulled noodles put to delicious use in soups and stir-fries. Not to be missed is One More Noodle's beef noodle soup, with impossibly long strands expertly pulled to the perfect width for joyous, noisy slurping. The broth is rich, the beef tender, and the bok choy simmered to just the right crunch. Pair it with dumplings or popcorn chicken, then grab a sweet and slushy drink loaded with popping boba or coffee jelly to double down on the slurping action.

Abigail Bliss

The Chow family lived in Singapore for two decades before opening Die Die Must Try in Cherry Creek North late last year. The multi-generational owners hope to inspire others to experience new things — including bubble tea served in a da bao bag, which they say is the authentic Singapore style of enjoying your drink on the go. Certain offerings like soursop and calamansi fruit tea further highlight the family's roots, as do bottled beverages and imported snacks. Classic options like oolong and taro milk tea also appear on the menu, along with various add-ins including boba, red bean and grass jelly.

When last call sends you stumbling out of a downtown bar at 2 a.m., your stomach filled with one too many vodka Red Bulls (and little else), Amore Pizza is there with a warm, comforting slice. This food truck, which also has a brick-and-mortar on Santa Fe Drive, dishes out New York-style pizza whole or by the slice — not to mention calzones, cannoli, cheesecake and more to satisfy any late-night craving. It spends most weekends parked at the corner of 20th and Market streets, within a two-block radius of over a dozen bars including ViewHouse, Jackson's, Whiskey Row and Beer Hall. But while tipsy patrons first come for the prime location, they return for the delicious food even after they've sobered up.

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Chris Byard

Ben Polson and his wife, Jodi, who runs the pastry program at Coperta, debuted their Mama Jo's food truck in 2021. The venture seamlessly blends Ben's passion for exceptional barbecue with Jodi's mastery of pastries and her perfected biscuit recipe. While the 'cue is delicious, the showstopper is the team's Nashville hot chicken biscuit. This culinary marvel begins with the truck's signature, flaky smoked Gouda biscuit, which serves as the canvas for a succulent lemon-brined chicken thigh that is delicately coated, fried and immersed in Nashville hot oil. A drizzle of Alabama white sauce, housemade bread-and-butter pickles and a dollop of creamy coleslaw complete the combo. This is one order that leaves patrons a little sweaty — and hungry for more.

mamajobiscuits.com
Outside Pizza/Instagram

Ashley Knotek and Ryan Grillaert launched Outside Pizza in August 2021, inspired by their passion for outdoor exploration and the gratifying indulgence of post-hike pizza. From their refurbished vintage camper-turned-mobile pizzeria, they craft everything from scratch, fishing out their interpretation of Neapolitan-style pies and occasionally experimenting with unconventional toppings. Among their innovative creations, the pickle pizza with roasted garlic cream sauce, mozzarella, provolone, homemade pickles and a sprinkle of fresh dill reigns supreme. But even when that isn't available, every pie boasts a light, crispy crust sure to satisfy any aficionado.

outsidepizza.com
La Reyna del Sur

If you spot a silver Airstream parked in front of a bar or beer joint in the metro area, get hungry. What Chef Ruben Hernandez is serving inside his shiny trademark trailer is a long list of Oaxacan classics straight from his home state's famed food culture in southern Mexico. One of those is the tlayuda: a crispy corn masa tostada the size of a steering wheel slathered with a black bean spread and topped with shredded quesillo, sizzling carne asada and chorizo sausage, pickled red onions and fresh avocado, with a side of dazzling orange habanero salsa. Exquisite banana-leaf chicken tamales, barbacoa street tacos, grilled nopales (cactus) and chile-roasted chapulines (similar to grasshoppers) are also perfectly prepared at La Reyna.

lareynadenver.com
Chris Byard

Chefs Nathan Madson and Kevin Clay met each other several years ago while working in the kitchen at Mercantile Dining and Provision. After bopping around a few other Denver establishments, the two friends decided to venture out on their own and launched Doublewide last summer. Since then, the truck has managed to make a splash thanks to its crispy, lacy-edged smashburgers, but we also love its killer vegetarian mushroom sandwich that highlights the team's ability to turn simple ingredients into tasty creations. This year, Madson and Clay are planning to up the stakes with inventive tasting dinners and new dishes, and we can't wait to see what they've got cooking.

instagram.com/doublewide.co
Molly Martin

Cozy but bright. Upscale but not fancy. Stylish but not overly trendy. Point Easy is a place that puts you at ease, which is exactly what you want when meeting someone for the first time. A pair of seats at the bar is the ideal setting for getting to know someone, with the buffer of friendly bartenders in case the conversation gets stale. Both the drinks and the food offer a little something for everyone, whether your date prefers a glass of wine and a plate of pasta, a cocktail and some fries for snacking or a spirit-free beverage with some shareable small plates. If you find yourself on a date with someone who can't enjoy a meal here, best move on to the next.

Molly Martin

Dating in Denver is expensive, especially if you're on the apps, but a rendezvous at Redeemer will show your date you're hip and cool while showing your wallet some love, too. The team behind Dio Mio opened this pizzeria in 2021, and it delivers on its promise of serving "New York 2.0"-style pizza. It's thin and perfectly speckled from the cook with "no flop," as Dave Portnoy attested when he visited. The naturally leavened sourdough crust adds depth of flavor without being overly tangy. Expect classic pies and creative takes as well as seasonal creations. You can grab slices on the back patio, split a hoagie at lunch or, if you go on a Wednesday, enjoy 50 percent off bottles of wine.

Shawn Campbell

We love this spot's eclectic riffs on French bistro fare, but it also happens to be an ideal spot to break off your current relationship, with a serving of beef tartare or steak frites for good measure. Take Brixton's thumping hip-hop soundtrack in a space filled with boisterous diners and pair it with dinner at the bar, which puts you close to the exit. You can rest a little easier knowing you've left your date with the sympathetic ear of some of the city's best bartenders while you escape to the adjacent Yacht Club for a hot dog, a shot...and the possibility of meeting up with a new number one.

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